2006 MERCEDES-BENZ G55AMG power steering

Contents
Automatic transmission ..................... 149
Gear selector lever position ......... 151
Driving tips ................................... 153
Gear ranges ................................. 154
One-touch gearshifting................. 155
Emergency operation
(Limp Home Mode) ...................... 156
Transfer case ..................................... 157
Transfer case position .................. 157
Switching transfer case................ 157
Differential locks ............................... 159
A few words about differentials
and differential locks.................... 160
Switching differential locks
on and off..................................... 161
Good visibility .................................... 163
Rear view mirrors ......................... 163
Headlamp cleaning system .......... 165
Sun visors .................................... 165
Rear window defroster ................. 166Climate control ................................... 168
Setting the temperature................ 170
Adjusting air distribution
and volume ................................... 171
Defrosting ..................................... 172
Air recirculation ............................ 172
Residual engine heat utilization .... 173
Deactivating the climate control
system .......................................... 173
Air conditioning............................. 174
Rear passenger compartment
adjustable air vents....................... 174
Power windows .................................. 175
Opening and closing the windows. 175
Power tilt/sliding sunroof................... 178
Opening and closing the power
tilt/sliding sunroof ........................ 178
Driving systems .................................. 181
Cruise control ............................... 181
Rear Parking Assist* ..................... 184Loading .............................................. 187
Roof rack ...................................... 187
Cargo compartment cover ............ 187
Enlarged cargo compartment ....... 188
Split rear seat bench .................... 188
Partition net* (MB Accessory) ...... 189
Loading instructions ..................... 192
Cargo tie-down rings..................... 193
Useful features ................................... 194
Storage compartments ................. 194
Ashtrays........................................ 198
Cigarette lighter ............................ 199
Electrical outlet............................. 200
Floormats ..................................... 201
Telephone* ................................... 201
Tele Aid ......................................... 202
Garage door opener ...................... 210
Heated steering wheel .................. 215

31 At a glance
Door control panel
Door control panel
ItemPage
1Switches for
opening/closing power
window175
Switch for rear door
window override78
2Seat adjustment37,
100
3Door handle96
4Memory function (for
storing seat, exterior
mirrors and steering wheel
settings)107

35 Getting started
Unlocking
Starter switch positions
Starter switch
0For removing SmartKey
The steering is locked when the
SmartKey is removed from the starter
switch.
1Power supply for some electrical con-
sumers, such as seat adjustment2Ignition (power supply for all electrical
consumers) and driving position.
All lamps (except high beam headlamp
indicator lamp and turn signal indicator
lamps unless activated) in the instru-
ment cluster come on. If a lamp in the
instrument cluster fails to come on
when the ignition is switched on, have
it checked and replaced if necessary. If
a lamp in the instrument cluster re-
mains on after starting the engine or
comes on while driving, see “Lamps in
instrument cluster” (page 290).
3Starting position
i
When you switch on ignition, the indi-
cator and warning lamps (except high
beam headlamp indicator lamp and
turn signal indicator lamps unless acti-
vated) in the instrument cluster come
on. The indicator and warning lamps
(except high beam headlamp indicator
lamp and turn signal indicator lamps if
activated) will go out when the engine
is running. This indicates that the re-
spective systems are operational.
i
The SmartKey can only be removed
from the starter switch with the gear
selector lever in positionP.

37 Getting started
Adjusting
Adjusting
Seats
Warning!G
All seat, head restraint, steering wheel, and
rear view mirror adjustments, as well as fas-
tening of seat belts, must be done before
the vehicle is put into motion.
Warning!G
Do not adjust the driver’s seat while driving.
Adjusting the seat while driving could cause
the driver to lose control of the vehicle.
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
back in an excessively reclined position as
this can be dangerous. You could slide un-
der the seat belt in a collision. If you slide
under it, the belt would apply force at the ab-
domen or neck. That could cause serious or
fatal injuries.
The seat back and seat belts provide the
best restraint when the wearer is in a nearly
upright position and belts are properly posi-
tioned on the body. Your seat must be ad-
justed so that you can correctly fasten your
seat belt (
page 43).
Never place hands under the seat or near
any moving parts while a seat is being ad-
justed.
Warning!G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle.
Even with the SmartKey removed from the
starter switch, the power seats can be oper-
ated when the respective door is open.
Therefore, do not leave children unattended
in the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehicle equip-
ment may cause an accident and/or serious
personal injury.
Warning!G
Children 12 years old and under must never
ride in the front seat, except in a
Mercedes-Benz authorized BabySmart
TM1
compatible child seat, which operates with
the BabySmart
TM system installed in the ve-
hicle to deactivate the passenger front
airbag when it is properly installed. Other-
wise they will be struck by the airbag when
it inflates in a crash. If this happens, serious
or fatal injury will result.
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seat-
ing positions. Infants and small children
must ride in the back seats and be seated in
an appropriate infant or child restraint sys-
tem, which is properly secured with the ve-
hicle’s seat belt and top tether strap, or
secured via lower anchors and top tether
strap, fully in accordance with the child seat
manufacturer’s instructions.
1BabySmartTM is a trademark of Siemens
Automotive Corp.


57 Getting started
Parking and locking
Parking and locking
You have now completed your first drive.
You have properly stopped and parked
your vehicle. End your drive as follows.Parking brake
1Parking brake lever
2Release button
Pull lever1 up as many notches as
possible.
When the engine is running, the warn-
ing lamp; (USA only) or3
(Canada only) in the instrument cluster
will be illuminated.
Warning!G
With the engine not running, there is no
power assistance for the brake and steering
systems. In this case, it is important to keep
in mind that a considerably higher degree of
effort is necessary to brake and steer the ve-
hicle.
Warning!G
Do not park this vehicle in areas where com-
bustible materials such as grass, hay or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system, as these materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.
To reduce the risk of personal injury as a re-
sult of vehicle movement, before turning off
the engine and leaving the vehicle always:

Keep right foot on brake pedal.

Pull the parking brake lever up as many
notches as possible.

Move the gear selector lever to
positionP.

Slowly release brake pedal.

When parked on an incline, turn front
wheels towards the road curb.

Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
position0 and remove the SmartKey
from the starter switch.

Take the SmartKey and lock vehicle
when leaving.

108 Controls in detail
Memory function
1Memory button
2Stored position buttons
Switch on the ignition (page 35).
or
Open the respective door and insert
the SmartKey in the starter switch.
Storing positions into memory
Adjust the seats, steering wheel and
exterior rear view mirrors to the de-
sired position (
page 37).
Press memory button1.
Release memory button and push posi-
tion button2 within three seconds.
All the settings are stored at the select-
ed position.
Recalling positions from memory
Press and hold position button2 until
the seat, steering wheel and rear view
mirrors have fully moved to the stored
positions.
i
Releasing the button immediately
stops movement to the stored posi-
tions.
Warning!G
Do not operate the power seats using the
memory button if the seat backrest is in an
excessively reclined position. Doing so
could cause damage to front or rear seats.
First move seat backrest to an upright posi-
tion.

159 Controls in detail
Differential locks
Differential locks
For more information on off-road driving,
see “Off-road driving” (
page 227).
Differential locks improve the vehicle’s
tractive power off-road. Switch on differen-
tial locks:

for off-road driving

to turn the ABS off during off-road driv-
ing

for driving through water

when driving on deep snow and icy or
fouled surfaces
!
Do not engage the front axle differen-
tial lock when driving around tight cor-
ners. This restricts steering ability.
!
When driving off-road, apply only mod-
erate pressure to the accelerator pedal
if the differential locks are switched on.
When running on a (single-axle) dyna-
mometer – no matter how briefly – you
must:

raise the non-driven axle
or

disconnect its drive shaft
and

engage the transfer differential lock
Otherwise the transfer case can be
damaged, which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Warning!G
Never drive on pavement with differential
locks engaged.
Steering control will be strongly affected
with the differential locks activated.
The ABS, BAS, and ESP are switched off au-
tomatically when the transfer case differen-
tial lock is activated.

160 Controls in detail
Differential locks
A few words about differentials and
differential locks
When a vehicle negotiates a turn, wheels
on the outside of the curve must travel far-
ther and rotate faster than the inside
wheels. The differential, the operation of a
set of gears that allows the powered
wheels in a vehicle to turn at different
speeds, makes this essential function pos-
sible.
The drawback is that the differential also
sends most of the engine’s power to the
wheel with the least load or strain on it. For
example, if one of a vehicle’s powered
wheels sits on a patch of snow and spins
because there is no traction, all of the en-
gine’s power will go to that wheel because
the power will take the path of least resis-
tance. Meanwhile, the opposite wheel, sit-
ting on dry pavement where it could get
enough grip to start the vehicle moving,
sits idle because it receives no power.The Electronic Traction System (ETS) ad-
dresses this problem and provides for
good control and steering ability by auto-
matically slowing the slipping wheel and
thus increasing the power to the other
non-slipping drive wheels to get the vehicle
moving. The ESP and ETS in this vehicle
feature such intelligent limited-slip differ-
ential technology, ideally suited for
on-road and light off-road driving. Transfer
case position LOW (
page 157) also en-
hances off-road driving capabilities
(
page 227).
More extreme off-road conditions may call
for another solution, engaging a differen-
tial lock or preventing the differential from
operating altogether. As part of its stan-
dard equipment, this vehicle comes with
three differential locks: front, transfer case
(center) and rear. Each can be engaged
simply by pushing dashboard-mounted
buttons in sequential order (center, rear,
front) (
page 161). When the transfer
case (center) differential is locked, half of
the engine’s power is automatically distrib-
uted to the front wheels and half to the rear wheels. When the rear differential is
locked, power going to the rear wheels is
equally distributed, so that both rear
wheels turn at the same speed and torque.
When the front differential is locked, all
four wheels now turn with equal power and
torque. Please be aware that engaging the
differential locks will significantly reduce
the steering ability of the vehicle.
For your safety and the safety of others
and to prevent damage to the vehicle, the
differential locks must not be engaged
when driving on paved roads. It is impor-
tant to understand that during
on-road/paved driving, differentials are
absolutely necessary for providing the es-
sential control and steering ability of the
vehicle. The differential locks, therefore,
must not be engaged when driving on
paved roads and should only be used to
the extent necessary to negotiate off-road
conditions which cannot be handled by the
systems (automatic 4-ETS, the ESP, manu-
al switch position “LOW” of transfer case)
this vehicle comes equipped with.